NRL: Meninga challenges nigglers

Queensland coach Mal Meninga. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - Queensland coach Mal Meninga turned up the heat on New South Wales with a jibe about their "niggling tactics" after arriving in Sydney for tonight's final State of Origin match.

While the ANZ Stadium match is a dead rubber after Queensland easily won the first two games of the series, Meninga's responses to media at Sydney airport showed how keen they were to complete a clean sweep.

"I would think all those niggling tactics to try to put us off our game in games one and two hasn't worked for them," said Meninga.

"I imagine they would want to come out and play a bit of rugby league this time and try and get some forward ascendancy."

Meninga did not want to talk about suggestions from the Maroons training camp this week that his players wanted to square up for some incidents they'd looked at from game two in Brisbane.

"There's no resentment from the Queensland players," said Meninga.

"They [NSW] play the way they play and we've got a job to finish tomorrow night."

Nor was he concerned by a newspaper story reporting that Queensland had come out on the better side of the penalty count in seven of the last eight Origin matches handled by senior referee Tony Archer, who will be in action again tonight.

"Origin is a lot different to NRL when you talk about refereeing and the referees have let it flow really, really well," said Meninga.

"I think the refs have done a fantastic job."

"We could criticise a lot of the decisions made by the two men but we accept them and get on with the game."

Asked if Blues coach Craig Bellamy needed to tighten his team's discipline, Meninga said: "That's a matter for Craig to deal with, not for me to comment on.

"All I know is our discipline has been good. That's all I worry about."

It'll be the last Origin match for maroons backline star Israel Folau before he takes up his contract with AFL franchise Greater Western Sydney next year.

"We don't need Izzy's last game to motivate us but it would be nice to send him out on a high," said Meninga.

Queensland will be aiming to claim their first Origin clean sweep since 1995 when they take on a young and experimental NSW side.

Queensland easily won the first two matches in the series, which has led to speculation that their continued dominance threatens the future of the series.

Ironically, the State of Origin began in 1980 after a long history of NSW dominance, largely the result of most of Queensland's best players being lured to Sydney by wealthy clubs and therefore playing against their home state.

Queensland were in a similar position last year when they won the first two matches only to relax in the third and get soundly beaten.

NSW have made wholesale changes to the squad that lost the first two matches, naming three debutant front rowers - Jason King from Manly, Cronulla's Kade Snowden and Tim Mannah of Parramatta.

Penrith winger Michael Gordon will also be making his Origin debut.

Gold Coast's Greg Bird will play his first Origin game since 2008 after being named at lock, and forwards Luke Lewis and Anthony Watmough return to the side after missing the second game through suspension and injury.

Said Bellamy: "We think this team can be really competitive."

- AAP, AFP